Heaven's Light
by Her Head In the Clouds
Summary: And after the experiment, Lark gave her best friend a cruel name, locked her away in the highest tower, and corrupted the lost princess until she grew weak, hopeless, and utterly broken... PiperCylonisAU


_**A/n:** Aslklkeofbwocen hey guys! I was recently listening to the soundtrack of Disney's Hunchback of Notre Dame and I got inspired, whereas the title was also inspired by another magnificent HND fic by another friend of mine with the same song name. It's been a while huh? (: Haha so I hope this does you SH darlings all justice. (: This is my first ever PiperCyclonis fic can you believe it? And the idea is just blowing ma mind lol._

_I'm calling it...my "Bells of Atmosia" AU. Enjoy!_

_::Dedication to The Goliath Beetle and Amozon28 - my two lovelies!_

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_**Heaven's Light**_  
_**April 20, 2013**_  
_**by: Her Head In the Clouds**_

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She had tried, one more time, to talk about world outside her bedroom window, yet as always it was a mistake...it was forbidden. Forbidden by Lark.

"The world is cruel..." a voice drawled, "the world is wicked."

Lark had done an experiment on her best friend. But it backfired...mutated...and poor Princess Piper was left...

When Lark pulled back a curtain from Piper's window, the girl covered her face as the sunlight hit her. But she didn't get up from her chair. She sat on it every day, every hour in the middle of her bedroom...a bedroom Lark had given her in her own palace so that Piper could be kept hidden. Piper saw through her fingers the tall towers of buildings far away beyond the window. She frowned at the thought of ...'normal people' going about their business...and (as always) how they would look at her if they saw her.

"It's I alone whom you can trust in this whole city," Lark continued as she walked back to Piper and took both her hands away from her face.

She gave a plastic smile. "I am your only friend," she said equally like plastic. And Piper's carnelian eyes widened as she furrowed her eyebrows.

Was it...was it true? She looked down slowly. How long had it been four years? Five? Piper...Piper couldn't-

"I who keep you, feed you, teach you, dress you!" Lark suddenly barked her demeanor snapping another way. She pulled Piper's chin up and forced her to look into her turquoise eyes. Lark looked passed the girl's hideous face and saw the experiment she had successively twisted. She sighed softly.

"I who look upon you without fear..." she assured and stroked Piper's jarred cheeks tenderly as the skinny girl shivered in the chair. She bit her lip and eyed the floor again so Lark pulled away and walked around the chair.

"How can I protect you, pet, unless you always stay in here...away in here."

She almost never called her Piper anymore, just 'girl' or 'pet' ...and Piper would cry inside, always wondering how she never, _NEVER_ saw the lie in their friendship. Lark just wanted to befriend a princess so she could take advantage of her spoils. And she did.

She locked Piper away in a dark cell, told everyone she had been kidnapped...then did experiments...horrific tests that destroyed...and mutated...

And the next Piper heard of her kingdom, a decoy had returned in her place who everyone thought was her. All while Lark laughed and said that Peregrine was an outstanding actress.

And after months of betrayal, months of loneliness and isolation... Piper eventually lost the will to fight.

Suddenly, Lark grabbed hold of her dark blue locks from behind and twisted the ends in her fingers. She leaned down slightly to speak in Piper's ear.

"Remember what I've taught you, Piper."

And as always, Piper listened.

"You are deformed." And Piper's mouth would automatically open and a robotic, rarely used voice slipped out.

"I am...deformed."

Lark moved away and walked around Piper's chair. She put her pale arms behind her back.

"And you are ugly."

"And I am ugly," Piper recited. Lark glared at her sternly as she pointed her finger at Piper's disfigured face.

"And these are crimes for which the world shows little pity...You do not comprehend!"

And Piper blinked up at her, almost in tears...before she looked away slowly with grief and acceptance.

"You are my one defender," she mumbled as she looked out the window to the buildings and the magnificent cathedral far away.

"Out there, they'll revile you as a monster!" Lark snarled and Piper bit her lip.

"I am a monster," she whispered to herself.

"Out there," Lark continued, "they will hate, and scorn, and jeer!"

And Piper's amber gaze fell to the floor, hopeless as always. "Only a monster..."

Lark then made a fist and leaned in front of Piper as she scowled in her broken best friend's face.

"Why invite their calumny, and consternation? Stay in here!"

And when Lark grabbed her chin again, Piper gasped, choking down a sob. The blonde looked down on her for surrender.

"Be faithful to me," she ordered softly and Piper nodded.

"I'm faithful." Because she did have hope...that Lark had promised her a cure.

"Be grateful to me."

"I'm grateful." And she was...no one had harmed her yet because Lark protected and cared for her.

After a moment to squint dubiously at the former princess, lark let go of her chin and stepped back.

"Do as I say...obey..." she spoke eerily calm as she moved towards Piper's bedroom door.

And when she grasped the handle, Lark turned to the window before she glared at Piper.

"And Stay. In. Here," she spat under her breath and piper snapped her head fearfully at Lark before she frowned deeply.

But she nodded her head slowly anyway.

"I'll stay in here," she repeated softly, her breath shaking like a leaf.

And Lark nodded assuringly before she opened the door and stepped out. Without another word, she pulled it shut and locked it until Piper was sure that Lark had finally turned and walked away from the door that had CYCLONIS written on it.

That was what she named Piper since...

_"Let her live here with me in my castle."  
"Live here? ...But where?"  
"Anywhere. Just so she's kept locked away where no one else can see."  
Suddenly, she saw through blurry eyes a taller man with dark green hair frown deeply at Lark before the girl's face filled her vision again.  
"Grandmother's bell tower perhaps...And who knows? Our Oracle works in mysterious ways."  
And Piper saw her best friend smile down at her pitifully.  
"Even this foul creature may yet prove one day to be...of use to me."_

And Piper covered her face with her hands and sobbed quietly in silent shame over her world she left behind...and herself.

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_~I hope you liked! I'm wondering if I should add more chapters with different scenes for this story. I had this idea about Aerrow being a gypsy and showing up while Finn would be a soldier with a horse named Junko. But idk, let me know if you think this should expand kay? Until then, thanks for reading!_

_Much love, Abby~_


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